Sasaki Tsuchimikado
is a of the and a vassal member of the , and a descendant of the through his father's bloodline. Born from the illegitimate union between a visiting ambassador from and a female courtesan, Sasaki's life has been a topic of heated debate between his parent's nations due to his manifestation of the . During his youth the Hyūga have repeatedly attempted to gain custody over him though both political and covert means, even at the risk of inciting international conflict. In response the Land of Iron has adamantly declared that Sasaki's citizenship rests solely within their nation, and have reinforced this claim by boldly declaring him as an irreplaceable member of one of their noble clans. While Sasaki wasn't permitted to have contact with with his father's family during most of his life, due to the concern that he would be abducted, he has received several invitations to abandon the Land of Iron since coming of age. Despite the bountiful offers he's received from both the Hyūga, and even Konoha directly, Sasaki has consistently replied that he is a loyal retainer of the Tsuchimikado. As such, he has been unofficially blacklisted and written off as a traitor, with some sources even suggesting he's been added to Konohagakure's . Background Sasaki was adopted into the Tsuchimikado household during infancy alongside his mother as method of safeguarding him from those who would covet his dōjutsu. As a benefit of being raised among such a familly, Sasaki was was given access to a prestigious level of education from an early age. From calligraphy and politics to and , most of his time was dedicated studying a variety of skills important for a member of nobility. Of course, the practice of was of premier importance for the young member of a samurai clan. Showing a promising response to his tutelage the head of the Tsuchimikado soon recognized Sasaki as more valuable than just a pawn in his political maneuvers. While a mere vassal wouldn't be able to ever lead the clan itself, Sasaki's talents could definitely be put to use to help support their noble house in a more direct method. To this end he enrolled the young man into the nation's military at the age of thirteen and arranged for him to be assigned to a unit tasked with patrolling a small village near the capitol. While this position was meant to be met with relative ease, Sasaki's unit soon found themselves in peril when they uncovered a band of . These rogues, who had fled from to deep within the to prevent being pursued by , had not expected to encounter trained adversaries in such an insignificant village. Employing their on the unprepared samurai the shinobi quickly overwhelmed their opponents, eliminating all but Sasaki and the squad's captain. Outnumbered and unable to mount a counterattack, the end was nearly in sight until Sasaki's timely activation of his . With his newfound visual prowess allowing him to peer through the obscuring fog, the pair was able to regroup and organize a counteroffensive against the criminals. Beaten and bruised, but not defeated, Sasaki's efforts managed to turn the tide against the shinobi, achieving a slim victory on that day. While seemingly an isolated event, Sasaki's role in apprehending the missing-nin, who turned out to be quite notorious in their homeland, resonated all the way to the . Impressed with the young man's achievements, combined with the successful lobbying of the head of the Tsuchimikado, the daimyō decided to task Sasaki with accompanying him to the upcoming as a member of his entourage. While the trip to was uneventful in itself, he soon found himself with an unexpected burden. While the competition had already officially begun, only the finals of the chūnin exams were publicly aired. As such, for the entire month leading up the the conclusion of the event the nobility of countless nations spent their days attending various banquets and parties. As a member of his lord's entourage, Sasaki was expected to attend these events and mingle, a mission that proved to be far more tiring for him than combat itself. Much like the journey to Suna, Sasaki's days among the leisure loving lords and ladies of the world were unremarkable routine, filled with nothing but pointless small talk for someone of his station. As an individual without any political influence of his own, or the permission to negotiate in the place of his daimyō, it was not as if he could arrange any agreements or contracts. Thus he was merely limited to trading anecdotal stories with the heirs of the rich and powerful. In short, things were exhaustively peaceful until one of attending lords suddenly collapsed during one of the banquets. Struck down in full view of the public, the daimyō succumbed to poison covertly introduced into his drink. Amid the ensuing panic, Sasaki scanned the room with his dōjutsu, quickly identifying an empty vial within the pocket of shinobi from charged with guard duty during the chūnin exams. Quickly informing his own lord of the situation, Sasaki was met with disappointment due to the fact that it would be impossible to outright accuse the shinobi of murder. Without substantial proof such an act would only create a political uproar, and could potentially incriminate the Land of Iron in the murder. Sensing the dejection of his subject at the inability to alleviate the situation, the Daimyō of the Land of Iron entrusted Sasaki with keeping an eye on Kusagakure during the remainder of the chūnin exams. He gladly accepted this operation, doubly so because it freed him out of pointlessly mingling on a daily basis. Despite his efforts, Sasaki's observation of Kusagakure failed to bear any fruit until the finals of the exams. Finding the techniques of shinobi interesting, Sasaki sought to study them in greater detail with his Byakugan. During a match where genin from the Grass village was participating, the opposing shinobi begun to show signs of unexplained disorientation. Viewing a strange trail of chakra linking the victim to a grass shinobi watching the fight from afar, he deduced that they were subtly influencing the outcome with genjutsu. Acting outside of his station, Sasaki took it upon himself to expose the act of interference in the competition. While initially appearing to be an unmotivated act of hostility against another nation, the Land of Iron quickly revealed the true nature of Sasaki's hidden eye. Furthermore, made the boastful claim that Kusagakure was also involved in the murder several days prior, citing that the same poison that was found in the system of the victim would be found in the lodgings of the culprits. While this was a merely a bluff on the part of the daimyō, the the grass shinobi found themselves cornered and quickly made their retreat alongside their respective lord, with sand-nin in pursuit. Unfortunately, Sasaki's true identity as the illegitimate child of a Hyūga, and the Land of Iron's possession of a Byakugan became widespread knowledge. While their was a collective sigh of relief that the source of the murderers had been identified, Sasaki found himself the target of a mix of fascination and disdain. While the buildup to the exams were strenuous, they quickly concluded and Sasaki found himself on his way back to the Land of Iron. In contrast to their peaceful trip to Sunagakure, the entourage found themselves ambushed by shinobi from Kusagakure on their return trip. Angered that their schemes had been uncovered in Suna, they sought to exact revenge by killing the daimyō and his group. Unprepared for an attack of this level the forces of the samurai were scattered and the daimyō found himself cut off from his daughter. Despite his wishes to recklessly charge back in to collect her, his bodyguards pulled him away as they retreated. Sasaki, intent on repaying the debt he incurred when his lord backed up his impudent actions during the finals, rushed through the enemy forces in order to recover the Princess. While he managed to get by her side, he realized that it would be impossible to cross back through the hoard of enemies with another person in tow unscathed. Unable to take a direct path to their home, Sasaki had no choice but to attempt returning to the Land of Iron by traversing a perilous mountain pass with the enemy hot on their trail. Appearance Personality Abilities Physical and Chakra Prowess Byakugan Swordsmanship Intelligence Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Samurai